Houston Congresswoman Sheila
Jackson Lee is one of the lawmakers
commending the Justice Department
for blocking Texas from implementing
a controversial voter ID law passed
during the last legislative session.
Jackson Lee said such laws continue to
be passed nationwide, and are an
attack on voting rights.

Prairie View A&M University
women’s basketball coach Toyelle
Wilson led the Lady Panthers team
to their second consecutive SWAC
tournament championship and secured
a ticket to March Madness. Now in
her second season as the team’s leader,
Wilson is showing why she is one of
the top young coaches in the game.

applauds ruling

Star Jones and Pastor Mia Wright at
Metamorphosis Conference

P16

 PAGE

coaches PV champs

3

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 PAGE 14

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For more than 135 years, CenterPoint Energy has served communities throughout the Houston area by building relationships between
our employees and our customers. As a public utility, we touch the lives of our customers each and every day by delivering safe, reliable
electricity and natural gas. But, that’s not all we do. Through our education and community outreach efforts, we work to improve the
quality of life in the communities we serve.

EVERY
DAY
BECAUSE YOU ARE
AT THE CENTER OF
EVERYTHING WE DO

Strengthening our neighborhoods
Community involvement is at the core of our corporate culture and is exemplified by our employees and retirees who are committed
volunteers in our service areas. Volunteering has long been central to CenterPoint Energy’s culture. We work to enhance the quality of life
in our communities by reaching out as a caring neighbor to support education, community development and health and human services.
Each year our employees, family members and retirees provide tens of thousands of hours in our schools – making them better places to
learn, and in our neighborhoods – making them safer places to live.
Investing in education
In addition to volunteer activities, we promote specific company-sponsored activities, including natural gas and electric safety
education programs designed to keep students safe and to inspire them to learn. Education opens doors and provides young
people options, and our employees are eager to share their personal experiences with students.
Encouraging employees to make a difference
CenterPoint Energy is a company of people who care about our businesses, our customers
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2011 Volunteer Participation
2011 total volunteer hours:
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ouston-area Black lawmakers are commending the U.S. Department of Justice
(DOJ) for blocking Texas from implementing a new law requiring voters
to present photo identification before
casting ballots.
Exercising powers granted by the Voting Rights
Act of 1965, the DOJ informed state election officials
that the law is “legally
unenforceable.”
“I thank the Justice
Department for standing up for voting rights,”
said State Sen. Rodney
Ellis. “Throughout the
preclearance process, Texas
consistently failed to produce information showing
the law would not have a
discriminatory impact on
minority voters.
“The Voting Rights Act
exists for this exact purState Rep. Garnet Coleman
pose: protecting the ability
of all Americans to access the ballot box,” Ellis said.
According to Republican lawmakers, the voter ID
law was passed to deter voter fraud, a point challenged
by Ellis.
“There are more UFO and Bigfoot sightings than
documented cases of voter impersonation,” said Ellis.
“After years of testimony and debate, supporters of
Texas’ voter ID law still cannot prove their case that
voter impersonation is even a minor problem in Texas.
“We, unfortunately, have plenty of evidence that it
will disenfranchise students, elderly, African American
and Hispanic voters,” Ellis said. “The Department of

Justice saw that evidence and made the right decision.”
The state law approved in May 2011 required voters to show government-issued identification, which
could include a driver’s license, military identification card, birth certificate with a photo, a current U.S.
passport or a concealed handgun permit.
Nationally, 31 states with Republican governors or
majorities in their legislatures passed similar laws that
produced a national backlash from Blacks, Latinos,
college students and others who view the laws as a

Justice found that the Texas Voter ID law violates the
Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Voting Rights Act is
for everyone.”
Writing on behalf of U.S. Attorney General
Eric Holder, Thomas Perez, head of the Civil Rights
Division, informed the Texas Secretary of State’s office that “a Hispanic registered voter is at least 46.5
percent, and potentially 120 percent, more likely than
a non-Hispanic registered voter to lack the required
identification.
“In addition, although Hispanic voters represent
only 21.8 percent of the
registered voters in the
state, Hispanic voters represent fully 29.0 percent of
the registered voters without such identification,”
Perez said.
State Rep. Sylvester
Turner also applauded the
DOJ’s decision, but said
that the fight for voting
rights is ongoing.
“While the battle is far
from over, I commend the
Department of Justice on
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee State Rep. Sylvester Turner
State Sen. Rodney Ellis
their decision not to grant
national attempt to suppress voters who traditionally
preclearance to Texas’ Voter ID law,” Turner said. “We
vote Democratic.
must continually fight against any measure that takes
away a right so vital and fundamental to our democAttack underway
“An attack on the right to vote is underway across racy, that many of our forefathers sacrificed their lives
the country through laws designed to make it more dif- for.”
State Rep. Garnet Coleman noted the battle that
ficult to cast a ballot,” said Houston Congresswoman
took
place during the last legislative session.
Sheila Jackson Lee.
“My
Democratic colleagues and I fought the pas“While couched in terms of voter fraud, these
sage
of
this
bill during session because it would create
laws will actually have their greatest impact by
unnecessary
barriers to the ballot box,” said Coleman.
limiting participation of African Americans, Lati“After
its
passage, I wrote a letter to the DOJ
nos, Asians and the young. Today the Department of
Continued on Page 11

localbriefs
A SUSPECT IN A RAPE NEAR A METRO
BUS STOP was arrested at his girlfriend’s home
in Abilene. Roberto Ramirez, 21, is charged with
aggravated assault. Detectives received a tip that
led to his arrest. The rape occurred on Feb. 22 after
a 31-year-old woman was followed off the bus near
the 5600 block of Old Spanish Trail, hit in the head
with a bottle, forced into a nearby field and sexually
assaulted. Evidence from the victim’s rape kit linked
the attack to Ramirez, whose criminal history includes
charges of drug possession and robbery……..,
TEXAS’ UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DROPPED
to 7.3 percent in January, down from 7.4 percent
in December. It was the lowest unemployment

rate in the state since April 2009. “We’re seeing
substantial economic growth here in Texas,” said
Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken.
The Texas unemployment rate is one full percentage
point below the national unemployment rate of
8.3 percent……..A JOB FAIR FOR FT. BEND
COUNTY residents will be held Wednesday, March
21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Houston Community
College, Sienna Plantation Campus, 5855 Sienna
Springs Way in Missouri City. It is sponsored by
State Rep. Ron Reynolds…….. U.S. TRADE
REPRESENTATIVE RON KIRK planned a March
16 visit to Houston to talk about how American
exports support American jobs. His schedule included

a tour of the Port of Houston and an appearance at
a Great Houston Partnership luncheon. Kirk is a
native of Austin and former mayor of Dallas……..
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S HOUSTON TRIP was
a financial success. Running an hour late because of
rain, Obama arrived at Union Station at Minute Maid
Park to a crowd of more than 500 people. Tickets
ranged from $500 per person for general admittance
to $15,000 for two people at a photo reception. That
event raised an estimated $2 million. Afterward,
about 70 people dined with Obama at the home of
his Harvard classmate, Tony Chase. The cost of the
dinner was $35,800 per person and $15,000 for one
additional guest.

defendernetwork.com • Serving the Houston area for over 80 years

4

DEFENDER | WEEK OF MARCH 15 | 2012

defendernetwork.com

national

New HIV campaign
targets Black women

T

Defender News Services

o combat the
high toll of HIV
and AIDS among
Black women in
the United States,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently
launched “Take Charge. Take
the Test.,” a new campaign
to increase HIV testing and
awareness among AfricanAmerican women.
The campaign – which features advertising, a website and
community outreach – is being
launched in conjunction
with National Women
and Girls HIV/AIDS
Awareness Day in 10 cities where Black women
are especially hard hit
by the disease, including
Houston.
“At current rates,
nearly one in 30 AfricanAmerican women will
be diagnosed with HIV
in their lifetimes,” said
Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of CDC’s National
Center for HIV/AIDS,
Viral Hepatitis, STD and
TB Prevention.
“To help reduce this toll
we are working to remind
Black women that they have
the power to learn their HIV
status, protect themselves from
this disease, and take charge of
their health.”
The program is also being
launched in Atlanta, Chicago,
Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Memphis, Newark, New Orleans, St.
Louis and Hyattsville, Md.
“Take Charge. Take the
Test.” is part of CDC’s commitment to address the urgent
HIV prevention needs of
African-American women, who
are far more heavily affected
by HIV and AIDS than women
of any other race or ethnicity in
the United States.
African-American women

account for nearly 60 percent
of all new HIV infections
among women (and 13 percent
of new infections overall). The
rate of new infections among
Black women is 15 times higher than among white women.
The campaign emphasizes
the importance of HIV testing
as a gateway to peace of mind
and better health.

Reaching out

Campaign messages will
reach Black women through
a variety of highly-visible
channels, including outdoor
and transit advertising; radio

health departments, and local
organizations in the 10 participating cities, which worked
together to develop local
campaigns for the communities
they serve.
The campaign was initially piloted in Cleveland and
Philadelphia, where community
events were attended by nearly
10,000 women, and campaign
messages were seen more than
100 million times.
“We hope to extend the
reach of this campaign to multiple cities throughout the nation, help empower many more
women to take control of their
health, and help
break the silence
about HIV in their
communities,” said
Jonathan Mermin,
M.D., director of
CDC’s Division of
HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP).

A greater risk

ads; posters and handouts
distributed in salons, stores,
community organizations, and
other venues; campaign ads
and materials on health department and partner websites; and
a dedicated campaign website,
http://hivtest.org/takecharge,
where women can find HIV
testing locations in their communities.
In addition to promoting
HIV testing, the campaign
encourages African-American
women to talk openly with
their partners about HIV and
insist on safe sex, and to
bring these same messages to
other women in social settings,
workplaces, living rooms, and
religious congregations.
The campaign reflects a
partnership between CDC,

Research shows
that Black women
are no more likely
than women of other
races to engage in
risky behaviors.
But a range of social and environmental factors put them at
greater risk for HIV infection.
These include higher
prevalence of HIV and other
sexually-transmitted infections
in some Black communities,
which increase the likelihood
of infection with each sexual
encounter. Limited access to
health care can prevent women
from getting HIV tested.
Research also shows
that financial dependence on
male partners may limit some
women’s ability to negotiate
safe sex. HIV stigma, far too
prevalent in all communities,
may also discourage Black
women from seeking HIV testing.
“This campaign is just
one part of the solution,” said
Continued on Page 11

U.S.briefs
ROLAND MARTIN IS BACK AT CNN after
the network lifted his month-long suspension
for controversial tweets made during the Super
Bowl. The network’s staff was notified about
his return via a conference call. Martin’s tweets
about an underwear ad and a football player
wearing a pink suit were blasted by the gay
rights group GLAAD and other members of
the LGBT community. Martin denied claims
of bias and apologized for his “regrettable and
offensive” tweets. He met with a GLAAD
representative during his suspension, and
the group released a statement saying the
meeting was the start of an “open and honest”
dialogue……..PRESIDENT OBAMA’S
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION continues to
be questioned. Even though he is a Christian,
a recent survey by Public Policy Polling
found that a majority of likely GOP primary
voters in the Deep South do not see Obama
that way. A poll of 600 Alabama voters, for
example, revealed that 45 percent thought he
was a Muslim, 41 percent were unsure and
only 14 percent considered him a Christian.
In Mississippi, 52 percent classified Obama
as a Muslim, 36 percent were unsure and 12
percent identified him as a Christian……..
WASHINGTON, D.C. HAS THE HIGHEST
PROSTATE CANCER incidence and death
rate in the country, according to data from
North American Association of Central Cancer
Registries, the National Cancer Institute and
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The data is bad news for D.C.’s large Black
population, since African-American men are
at a higher risk for prostate cancer. The high
rate of the disease is attributed to distrust of the
medical system and negative attitudes toward
testing. This year alone, 540 men in D.C. will
be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 60 will
die from the disease. Rates of prostate cancer
are 60 percent higher among men with African
ancestry, and the death rate is two-and-a-half
times that of white men.

The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Inc. Company (713-663-6996.. The Defender
audited By Certified Audited Circulation. (CAC). For subscription, send $60-1 year to: Defender, P.O. Box
8005, Houston TX 77288. Payment must accompany subscription request. All material covered by 2012
copyright. (No material herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher).

defendernetwork.com • Serving the Houston area for over 80 years

defendernetwork.com | WEEK OF MARCH 15 | 2012 | DEFENDER

5

WE’RE WORKING TO PROVIDE SOLUTIONS

FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IN TEXAS
Our Small Business Bankers are out in the community, meeting face-to-face with clients in Texas. They know
the special needs of small businesses, and all the ways Bank of America can help them.
Additionally, as part of our ongoing commitment to small businesses, Bank of America extended $6.4 billion
in new credit to small businesses across the country in 2011 — a 20% increase over 2010.
Combining our local support and expertise with our national resources, Bank of America is working to grow this
crucial part of America’s economy.

Hired

78

Small Business Bankers
in Texas in 2011.

Extended

$6.4

Increased

Billion

In new credit to small businesses
nationwide in 2011.

20%

Small business lending
nationwide from 2010.

To learn more about the ways that Bank of America can help your small business, visit
bankofamerica.com/smallbusinessbanker

Broadcaster Len Elmore
looks at basketball, life
By KAM WILLIAMS
Defender
ong associated with March Madness, Len Elmore is currently
appearing on CBS for his 12th
season as an analyst during the
network’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship coverage.
In addition, he has served as a basketball
analyst for ESPN for the past 13 consecutive years, calling ACC and Big East games,
including the Big East Tournament.
Elmore is an eight-year NBA veteran,
having played with the Indiana Pacers,
Kansas City Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, New
Jersey Nets and New York Knicks. He spent
two seasons with the ABA’s Indiana Pacers
in 1975-76 before the franchise joined the
NBA.
He is a 1974 graduate of the University
of Maryland where he was a three-time AllACC player as well as an All-American his
senior year. In 2002, the 50th Anniversary of
the ACC, he was chosen as one of the ACC’s
Top 50 Players of all time.
Elmore also earned a juris doctor from
Harvard Law School in 1987 and began his
law career as an assistant district attorney in
Brooklyn.
Born in the Big Apple in 1952, Len still
resides there and was inducted into the New
York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.

L

Here, he talks about March Madness and
about his extraordinary careers on the court,
behind the microphone, and as an attorney.
KW: With everyone filling out their
March Madness brackets in office pools
right now, let me start by asking who you
think has what it takes to win the NCAA
Tournament this year?
Elmore: There’s not just one
team. Obviously, there are the favorites like Syracuse and certainly
Kentucky, a good young team.
We could also look at a team like
Duke which has enjoyed resurgence…Then, there are those
teams that people haven’t really
spoken about much, like Kansas,
which has played very well, as has
Missouri.
And there are others with plenty of potential, such as Michigan
State which worked its way into a
number one seed…Ohio State sort
of has to overcome some of their issues, but they’re very capable of going all the way in a six-game series.
And North Carolina is definitely built
to go the distance in the tournament.
So, those are the teams I think we
should be looking at, but in the end,
I really believe that Syracuse and
Kentucky are the two teams

that have shown very few weaknesses.
KW: I think March Madness makes for
the most exciting and compelling spectacular in all of sports. Why is that?
Elmore: The beauty of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament is in its
structure, a
one-and- done
situation, which
Continued on page 5

Len Elmore

What’sup
AUDITIONS FOR BET’S ‘SUNDAY BEST’ kick
off March 24 at 6 a.m. at The Potter’s House in Dallas.
Auditions will follow in Washington, D.C., Atlanta and
St. Louis. Grammy winners YOLANDA ADAMS and
CECE WINANS will join DONNIE MCCLURKIN
as judges on the gospel competition show. KIRK
FRANKLIN will return as the show’s host. Adams,
a native Houstonian, was a judge on the show before.
She and Winans will replace MARY MARY sisters
Tina and Erica Campbell, who are starring in a reality
show based on their lives. ……..ANGELA BASSETT
could join the list of movie stars turning to television.
She is in final negotiations to star in an untitled teen spy
drama on Fox. The series revolves around the orphaned

14-year-old daughter of a CIA operative. Bassett would
play the director of the CIA. Bassett most recently
starred in the Broadway hit “The Mountaintop” opposite
SAMUEL L. JACKSON…….. LIONEL RICHIE and
the late ETTA JAMES will be inducted into the Apollo
Theater’s hall of fame. The ceremony takes place at the
historic Harlem theater on June 4. Richie performed
with his former group the Commodores at the Apollo
in the 1970s. James, who died in January, performed
at the Apollo in the 1950s and 1960s……..BOBBI
KRISTINA BROWN told OPRAH WINFREY that
she hopes to keep her mother’s legacy alive by pursuing
an entertainment career. “I’m her daughter. I’m going to
carry on her legacy,” she said in an exclusive interview

on the OWN Network. She also said it’s still difficult
to listen to her mother’s music and enter the home they
once shared…….. FLAVOR FLAV is taking another
stab at the food industry. The fried chicken restaurant
he opened in Iowa last year closed after four months
because of management issues. On March 15, he’s
opening Flavor Flav’s House of Flavor in Las Vegas.
The menu includes fried chicken, fried shrimp and his
signature red velvet waffles. He said he will be there
when he’s not on the road with Public Enemy. “You’ll
find me in the kitchen cooking,” he said. “You’ll find me
frying chicken. You’ll find me serving food to customers.
And I’ll be taking pictures and autographs at the same
time.”

defendernetwork.com • Serving the Houston area for over 80 years

7

defendernetwork.com | WEEK OF MARCH 15 | 2012 | DEFENDER

Elmore... Continued from page 6
includes so many teams not considered
serious contenders who nevertheless
have the potential to overcome their
shortcomings and rise to the occasion.
You also have the fallibility of a heavy
favorite who might make a few fatal
mistakes in a game and find itself facing elimination. Those are the components of the drama that make March
Madness.
KW: What does Jeremy Lin mean
to the NBA?
Elmore: He’s a terrific story for
the league at a time it’s trying to recover its fan base and viewership in
the wake of the lockout. He’s generating a lot of excitement and bringing
new people in who might not have
been following the NBA. But whether
this level of excitement will last, remains to be seen.
KW: You played at a time when
the game was bigger than the sum of
its players, even with the superstars of
your time. Does the sport still feel the
same?
Elmore: In all honesty, I’m not
nearly as much of a fan of the NBA
as I was maybe 10 or 15 years ago, or
certainly as I was when I was a player.
It’s become more entertainment focused, and less focused on the purity
of the game. That’s not necessarily a
bad thing; it’s just not my cup of tea.
One of the reasons why I enjoy college
basketball a little more is because of
its team orientation as opposed to individual orientation. I’ve always been
taught that basketball is a team game
and greater than the sum of its parts.
KW: You managed successfully
to have other careers after your NBA
days. How did college prepare you
for your post-graduate career? What
message do you have for today’s
youth about financial security?
Elmore: Getting a well-rounded
education and developing a love of
learning that hopefully will continue to
last my lifetime certainly helped prepare me to understand what’s coming
at me in this world and to adapt…I’m
concerned that young people today, far
too often, abdicate their responsibilities of learning and adapting and give
that over to people who may not always have their best interests at heart.
And without a well-rounded education,
they get into trouble if they don’t have
the skills or the resources to overcome
the issues that present themselves.
KW: When you look in the mirror,
what do you see?
Elmore: I see a person who has
achieved many goals that he set for
himself, and who didn’t allow a few
setbacks to interfere with his love of
life. And I see a person who is a good
husband and a good father, and who
will hopefully leave a legacy for my
sons to be the same.

became the first
African American to be promoted to principal dancer at Houston Ballet in 1990.
She danced with the ballet from 1983 to
2006. In 2007, she became an outreach
associate in Houston Ballet’s education
department.

n Marguerite Ross

Barnett became the
first Black president of the University of
Houston in 1990, and held the position
for a year and a half. During her brief
tenure, she added 10 new minority faculty
members and led a rigorous program to
raise private funds. In 1991, Barnett took a
medical leave of absence to seek treatment for cancer. She died in 1992.

n Dr. Joye Carter became

the first woman
appointed chief medical examiner in
Texas when she served as chief medical
examiner of Harris County from 1996 to
2002. She later formed the first Blackowned forensic consulting firm in the U.S.
and relocated to Indianapolis to become
chief forensic pathologist to the coroner.

n Beverley Clark

was the first Black
woman elected to the Houston City
Council in 1989. (Sheila Jackson Lee was
elected to Council a month later after
winning a run-off). Clark served two
terms on Council. She later ran for several
other offices. In 1996, she lost her second
bid for the 25th District congressional
seat.

n Dr. Judith Craven

was first Black
woman to graduate from Baylor College
of Medicine in 1974. In 1980, she became
the first woman named director of Health
Care Services for the City of Houston
Health Department. In 1992, she was
the first African American named president of the United Way of the Texas Gulf
Coast. In 2001, she was the first Black
woman appointed to the University of
Texas Board of Regents.

cover

Women’s His

Blacks wh
the w

n Shirley DeLibero was the first Black
woman named president and CEO of
Houston METRO in 1999. DeLibero led
the development and operation of the
light rail system during her tenure, which
lasted until 2004. She is president of a
transportation consulting firm.

March is Women’s History M
tribute to Afric
who paved the way in Houston, t
Women’s History Month had its origins
the first week of Marc
In 1987, after being petitioned by
Congress designated the entire
Black women have played import
and their accomplishments are wo

n Paula Harris became the first Black
female president of the Houston Independent School District board of trustees in
2011. Harris was first elected to the board
in 2007. She has a degree in petroleum
engineering and is director of community
affairs for a major company.
n Joann Horton

served as the first female
president of Texas Southern University
from 1993-95. She was later appointed to
such positions as president of KennedyKing College in Chicago and acting
executive vice president of Baltimore City
Community College.
n Dr. Mae Jemison

became
the first Black woman to travel
in space when she went into

orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992. She
resigned from NASA in 1993 and founded the Jemison
Group, Inc., a technology and consulting firm. She is
chair of the Texas State Product Development and
Small Business Incubator Board and a Greater Houston
Partnership board member.

n Dr. Edith Irby J
African American
School of Medicin
woman intern at
1959 and the first
National Medical

n Barbara Jordan

to th
serve
first
from
first B
addre
tion. S
woma

n Nath

earn an
A&M Un
Black wo
professio
A. Kenne
engineer
Barbara Jordan

Marguerite Ross Barnet
t

Lois Moore
s
Paula Harri

defendernetwork.com • Serving th

9

rpage

20 in
American
history

istory Month

ho paved
way

Month, and the Defender is paying
can-American women
the state of Texas and the United States.
s in 1982 when the U.S. government proclaimed
ch “Women’s History Week.”
y the National Women’s History Project,
month as “Women’s History Month.”
tant roles throughout America’s history,
orthy of celebrating 365 days of the year.

Jones first made history as the first
n to attend the University of Arkansas
ne in 1948. She became the first Black
Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine
t woman to serve as president of the
Association in 1985.

n was the first Black woman elected
he Texas State Senate, where she
ved from 1966-1972. She became the
Black woman elected to Congress
m the South in 1974. In 1976, she was the
Black woman to deliver the keynote
ess at the Democratic National ConvenShe died in 1996 and was the first Black
an interred in the Texas State Cemetery.

helyne Kennedy was the first woman to
n engineering degree from Prairie View
niversity (1959) and probably the first
woman in Texas to become a registered
onal engineer. She founded Nathelyne
edy & Associates, a civil/structural
ring firm in Houston.

isholm
Shirley Ch

ald
Ella Fitzger

n Lois Jean Moore

became the first Black
woman president and CEO of the Harris
County Hospital District in 1999. She was in
son
Althea Gib
charge of the sixth largest inpatient health
care system in the U.S. for 10 years. In 2000, she was
named chief administrator of the University of Texas
Harris County Psychiatric Center.
n May Walker

became the first female patrol officer
with the Houston Police Department in 1975 and served
on the force for 24 years. In 2004, she was elected the
first female constable in Harris County.
n Hattie Mae White became

the first Black since
Reconstruction elected to a significant public office in
Houston when she was elected to the school board
in 1958. During her nine years on the board, she
championed desegregation and racial equality. HISD
named its administration building in honor of White,
who died in 1993.
Sources:
Defender Files & News Services
Handbook of Texas, Texas State Historical Association
“Black Women in Texas History” by Bruce A. Glasrud
and Merline Pitre

he Houston area for over 80 years

1 Marian Anderson – first Black to sing with New York’s
Metropolitan Opera (1955)
2 Halle Berry – first Black woman to win an Academy
Award for Best Actress (2001)
3 Mary McLeod Bethune – first Black woman to receive a
major appointment from the U.S. government (1936)
4 Gwendolyn Brooks – first Black woman to win the
Pulitzer Prize in poetry (1950)
5 Ursula Burns – first Black woman to head a Fortune 500
company (Xerox, 2009)
6 Alice Coachman – first Black woman to win an Olympic
gold medal (1948)
7 Fanny Jackson Coppin – first African-American female
principal (1869)
8 Shirley Chisholm – first Black woman in Congress (1968)
and first Black woman nominated for president (1972)
9 Althea Gibson – first Black athlete to win a major tennis
title (1956) and first Black woman to join the Ladies
Professional Golf Association tour (1964)
10 Sarah Goode – first Black woman to hold a patent,
which was for a cabinet bed (1885)
11 Ella Fitzgerald – first Black woman to win a Grammy
Award (1958)
12 Lorraine Hansberry – first Black woman to write a play
on Broadway (1959)
13 Hazel Johnson – first Black female general (1979)
14 Toni Morrison – first Black woman to win a Nobel Prize
for Literature (1993)
15 Mary Jane Patterson – first Black woman to graduate
from an American college (1862)
16 Charlotte Ray – first Black female lawyer (1872)
17 Condoleezza Rice – first Black female secretary of state
(2005)
18 Madame CJ Walker – first Black female millionaire
(circa 1919)
19 Maggie Lena Walker – first Black woman to head a
bank (1903)
20 Phillis Wheatley – first known African-American
woman to publish a book (1773)
Sources:
Defender Files & News Services
“Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America” by Lerone
Bennett Jr.

d
Mary McLeo

Bethune

ansberry
Lorraine H

10

DEFENDER | WEEK OF MARCH 15 | 2012

defendernetwork.com

health

A Defender and Kelsey-Seybold Clinic Alliance

One colonoscopy could save your life
By SHEELA CHANDRA, M.D.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness
month, which is especially important for
African-Americans. Among cancers that
affect both men and women, colorectal
cancer – cancer of the colon or rectum – is
the second leading cause of cancer-related
deaths in the United States. AfricanAmericans have the highest incidence of
colorectal cancer of any racial or ethnic
group and lower survival rates.
Most cases of colorectal cancer will
not show any symptoms, which is why it’s
often referred to as a ‘silent disease.’ And
by the time symptoms appear – change
in stool, weight loss, pain, bleeding – the
cancer may be at an advanced stage. To
help avoid advanced colon cancer, you
should undergo screening prior to the
development of symptoms.
In general, it is recommended that
colon cancer screening begin at age 50.
Your physician may recommend screening

cancer is more than 90
percent when detected in
the earliest stages.
Colonoscopy is
considered the “gold
standard” for colorectal
cancer screening.
During the procedure,
an endoscope (a thin,
very flexible, lighted
fiber-optic tube) is
inserted into the patient
to directly view the
Dr. Sheela Chandra is a boardA Preventable,
lining of the colon. It
certiﬁed Gastroenterology
specialist who cares for patients
Treatable Disease
helps find ulcers, colon
at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic – The
The good news is
polyps, tumors and
Woodlands and at Spring Medical
that colorectal cancer
areas of inflammation or
and Diagnostic Center.
also is one of the most
bleeding in the colon or
preventable cancers
rectum and may be used
through screening and early detection.
to remove abnormal growths. Polyps
Nearly two-thirds of colorectal cancer
are usually benign, but may have the
deaths are preventable with simple
potential to become cancerous. The
screening and prevention methods.
removal of polyps has been shown
The 5-year survival rate for colorectal
to help prevent the development of
at an earlier age or more
frequently if there is
family history of colon
cancer or the presence
of other risk factors such
as age, obesity, diabetes,
ulcerative colitis or other
inflammatory intestinal
conditions, a sedentary
lifestyle or a history
of excessive alcohol
consumption.

colon cancer. This is why screening is
so important.
Ways to Reduce Risk
By making changes in your everyday
life, you may be able to reduce your own
risk of colon cancer. This includes:
• Eating a variety of fruits, vegetables
and whole grains and less red and
processed meat.
• Drinking alcohol in moderation, if at all.
• Not smoking. Talk to your doctor about
ways to quit that may work for you.
• Exercising for at least 30 minutes on
most days of the week.
• Maintaining a healthy weight.
Colon cancer is the third most
common cancer among AfricanAmericans with more than 16,000
cases estimated to be diagnosed each
year. Consult your physician about the
different types of screenings, how often
they should be scheduled and which is
best for you.

WHERE YOU NEED US
WHEN YOU NEED US
For every stage of a woman’s life.

Comprehensive care AND a focus on women
Whether you’re about to start a family or the next stage of your life, the OB/GYN physicians at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic –
Woman’s Center offer convenient and comprehensive medical care to women of all ages.
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(On the campus of The Woman’s Hospital of Texas)

24-Hour Appointment Scheduling: 713-442-0000 | kelsey-seybold.com

ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS and 50 HEALTH PLANS

defendernetwork.com | WEEK OF MARCH 15 | 2012 | DEFENDER

11

Lawmakers...Continued from page 3
requesting that they reject the law. Today’s ruling protects the voting rights of many – communities of color,
the elderly, and homeless.”

Voter ID supporters

Texas’ voter ID law was the product of Sen. Troy
Fraser’s (R-Horseshoe Bay) Senate Bill 14 and was
one of Gov. Rick Perry’s “emergency items” during
the 82nd Legislature.
State Attorney General Greg Abbott, who supported the voter ID law, said he expected the DOJ’s ruling.
“We saw them reject a similar proposal in South

Carolina and we couldn’t see them rejecting South
Carolina and approving Texas,” said Abbott, who
pledged to continue fighting for the lawsuit he filed
last month to have the bill implemented immediately.
Gov. Rick Perry, who also supported the voter
ID law, characterized the DOJ’s ruling as another
example of the Obama administration’s “continuing
and pervasive” federal overreach.
“The DOJ has no valid reason for rejecting this
important law, which requires nothing more extensive
than the type of photo identification necessary to receive a library card or board an airplane,” said Perry.

Jackson Lee begs to differ.
“We cannot let the rhetoric of an election year
destroy a fundamental right upon which we have
established liberty and freedom,” she said.
“A long, bitter, and bloody struggle was fought
for the Voting Rights Act of 1965 so that all Americans could enjoy the right to vote, regardless of race,
ethnicity, or national origin…
“An election with integrity is one that is open
to every eligible voter. Restrictive voter ID requirements degrade the integrity of our elections by
systematically excluding large numbers of eligible

HIV

...Continued
from page 4
Donna Hubbard McCree, Ph.D., associate
director for health
equity at DHAP.
“All of us have a
role to play in stopping the spread of
HIV among Black
women – by talking
to our sisters, daughters, husbands, and
boyfriends about how
to protect ourselves
against HIV and the
importance of getting
tested; by speaking
out against stigma;
and by tackling the
social inequities that
place so many of us at
risk for HIV.”
“Take Charge.
Take the Test.” is the
latest campaign of
CDC’s Act Against
AIDS initiative, a
five-year, $45 million
national communication campaign to
combat complacency
about the HIV/AIDS
crisis in the United
States.
The campaign
also directly addresses the goals of
the National HIV/
AIDS Strategy, which
calls for reducing new
infections, intensifying HIV prevention
efforts in communities in which HIV is
most heavily concentrated, and reducing
HIV-related deaths in
communities at high
risk for HIV infection.
Other Act Against
AIDS campaigns include those targeting
high-risk populations
such as gay and bisexual men, as well as
efforts to reach health
care providers and the
general public.

Black women Democrats wield influence
Education focusing on
IOP’s programs including
political discussion and
debates, community service
and innovative public policy
research. Her previous involvement in the Democratic Party was a windfall
to the institute.

By YUSSUF SIMMONDS
Special to the NNPA from the
Los Angeles Sentinel

Black History occurs
throughout the entire year.
The role of Black women
down through the ages
have always been as the
vanguard of civilization and
the sheer power and influence of their presence on
society clearly illustrate the
values, customs and norms
of society.
A sampling of such
a group of Black women
whose presence demonstrates power and influence
in America are Donna Brazile, Tina Flournoy, Minyon
Moore, Yolanda Caraway
and Leah Daughtry.

Donna Brazile

As the first AfricanAmerican woman to run a
“successful” presidential
campaign, Donna Brazile
became the unsung hero
of the 2000 Democratic
presidential campaign. The
historical importance of
Brazile as the campaign
manager of the presidential
campaign was that although
her candidate received a
majority of the popular vote,
he was denied the presidency.
Notwithstanding,
despite her hard work and
tremendous sacrifice that
made her candidate capture
the majority vote, five of
the nine justices in the U.S.
Supreme Court – and the
Electoral College – saw it
differently. So she moved
on.
Even though she is
mostly associated with the
2000 presidential campaign,
Brazile has worked on many
presidential campaigns
including Carter/Mondale in
1976 and 1980; Jesse Jackson in the 1984 primary;
Mondale/Ferraro in 1984;
Richard Gephardt in the
1988 primary; and Dukakis/
Bentsen in 1988.
Her political activism
coupled with her commitment to social equality
made her one of the most
outspoken and forceful political activists on the scene
today.

Minyon Moore

Donna Brazile

As the assistant to the
president for Public Policy
at the American Federation
of Teachers (AFT) union,
which represents over 1.4
million members (mostly
teachers), Tina Flournoy
directs the work of the
AFT’s legislative, political,
field and mobilization and
human rights and community outreach departments.
She is also a member of the
AFT’s internal operating
committee.
With over 25 years of
experience in management,
government relations, legal
and legislative matters in
both the private and public
sectors, Flournoy has held
legal and political positions
with the Democratic Party’s
National Committee transition team, among others.
Flournoy had previously worked in Rev. Jesse
Jackson’s 1984 campaign
for president and she
credited that campaign for
developing leaders within
the African-American community.
In addition, she led a
study group at the Institute
of Politics (IOP) at Harvard
University in 2009. It was a
part of the Politics of Public

Minyon Moore joined
Dewey Square Group as a
principal in 2002 and heads
its successful state and local
affairs practice. She is considered one of the nation’s
top strategic thinkers. Clients from Fortune 100 companies to non-profit start-ups
have turned to Moore for
her skills in developing effective strategies to address
emerging consumer markets.
She specializes in building
coalitions and brand awareness strategies for corporations while at the same time
effectively addressing their
state and local public policy
issues.
Moore has unparalleled
knowledge and understanding of the political and
public policy arena, a result
of her extensive background
in this realm. As CEO of
the Democratic National
Committee (DNC), Moore
was directly responsible for
the day-to-day management
and oversight of the party’s
activities.
Moore is a native
of Chicago, Illinois and
attended the University of Illinois at Chicago where she
majored in sociology. She
recently earned a degree in
digital filmmaking at Boston

University’s Campus in
Washington, D.C. and plans
to produce and direct films.

Yolanda Caraway

Yolanda H. Caraway
is the founder, president
and CEO of one of the
few woman- and minorityowned communications and
public affairs consulting
firms in Washington, DC,
the Caraway Group (TCG).
It was founded 25
years ago by Caraway,
a nationally recognized
political and public relations
strategist.
Some of her more
well-known named clients
have been private U.S.
corporations such as
Microsoft, MGM Mirage,
Bristol Myers Squibb, MCI,
Mitsubishi and Texaco;
governmental such as and
nonprofit agencies such as
the Congressional Black
Caucus Foundation, the
Congressional Hispanic
Caucus Institute, and U.S.
Dept. of Commerce; and
non-profits such as Center
for American Progress,
NATO 50th Anniversary
Summit, and Martin Luther
King Jr. National Memorial
Foundation Project.
Caraway and TCG also
coordinate major undertakings for the Democratic
Party, which showcased
her years of organizational
ability and management
expertise.
In the aftermath of 9/11,
TCG represented the U.S.
Army’s recruiting efforts
with the flood of Americans
wanting to enlist in the wake

of the tragedy. And her firm
has also served as counsel for
the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the National Museum
of African American History
and Culture, BET Networks,
Kaiser Permanente, and
others.

Rev. Leah
D. Daughtry

The Reverend Leah
D. Daughtry is a nationally
recognized teacher, preacher,
speaker, organizer, leader,
and Democratic strategist.
Throughout her career, she
has sought to bring sound,
principled leadership, business, and management practices to organizations that
seek to enhance and improve
the lives of the people with
and for whom she worked.
As president and CEO
of On These Things, LLC
(OTT), Daughtry provides
strategic and event planning, issue advocacy, and

organizational management
consulting services to a broad
array of businesses and organizations.
Rev. Daughtry served
as CEO of the 2008 Democratic National Convention
Committee, responsible for
all aspects of planning and
execution of the Democratic
Party’s quadrennial presidential nominating convention.
In 2009, Rev. Daughtry
served as Resident Fellow
at Harvard University’s
Institute of Politics, where
she focused on the role that
faith and values have come
to play in American politics.
A native of Brooklyn,
New York, Rev. Daughtry
held various senior posts at
the United States Department of Labor, the United
States Congress, and the
Democratic Party. She is the
pastor of The House of the
Lord Church in Washington, D.C.

classified
MENTAL HEALTH MENTAL RETARDATION
AUTHORITY OF HARRIS COUNTY
will be accepting Request for Proposal for the following:
Nutrition & Hot Food Services
Specifications may be secured from MHMRA, Harris County, Purchasing Department located at 7011 Southwest Freeway, Suite 100 in
Houston, Texas 77074, telephone number (713) 970-7300, and/or via
MHMRA website www.mhmraharris.org beginning Monday, March
19, 2012. The Request for Proposal (RFP) must be submitted to
Purchasing Department, Suite 100, 7011 Southwest Freeway, Houston, Texas 77074 by Monday, March, 19, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. in a
sealed envelope marked "RFP- DO NOT OPEN UNTIL – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 04, 2012 – “NUTRITION & HOT FOOD SERVICES”.
Any questions pertaining to this RFP should be addressed in writing to
Joycie Sheba, Buyer II / Sharon Brauner, Buyer III via fax (713) 9707682 or email questions to joycie.sheba@mhmraharris.org, cc: sharon.brauner@mhmraharris.org. MHMRA reserves the rights to reject
any and/or all offers it deems to be in its best interests, to waive formalities and reasonable irregularities in submitted documents and is
not obligated to accept the lowest proposal.

MENTAL HEALTH MENTAL RETARDATION
AUTHORITY OF HARRIS COUNTY
will be accepting Request for Proposal for the following:

Hardware Load Balancers
Specifications may be secured from MHMRA, Harris County, Purchasing Department located at 7011 Southwest Freeway, Suite 100 in
Houston, Texas 77074, telephone number (713) 970-7300, and/or via
MHMRA website www.mhmraharris.org beginning Monday, March
19, 2012. The Request for Proposal (RFP) must be submitted to
Purchasing Department, Suite 100, 7011 Southwest Freeway, Houston, Texas 77074 by Monday, March, 19, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. in a
sealed envelope marked "RFP- DO NOT OPEN UNTIL – THURSDAY, APRIL 05, 2012, 10 AM – “HARDWARE LOAD BALANCERS”. Any questions pertaining to this RFP should be addressed in
writing to Joycie Sheba, Buyer II / Sharon Brauner, Buyer III via fax
(713) 970-7 or email questions to joycie.sheba@mhmraharris.org, cc:
sharon.brauner@mhmraharris.org. MHMRA reserves the rights to
reject any and/or all offers it deems to be in its best interests, to waive
formalities and reasonable irregularities in submitted documents and
is not obligated to accept the lowest proposal.

Hartina “Tina”
Flournoy
SOW_HoustonDefenderPaths.indd 1

9/12/11 8:37 PM

defendernetwork.com

WEEK OF MARCH 15 | 2012 | DEFENDER

opinion

pointofview

The Black
Press still
relevant

O

n March 16, 1827 in New
York City, Samuel E. Cornish
and John B. Russwurm wrote
a new chapter in American
history. They established Freedom’s
Journal, the first African-American
owned and operated newspaper published in the U.S.
Their mission still echoes today:
“We wish to plead our own cause. Too
long have others spoken for us.”
This year, Black Press Week is
March 14-18. It’s a time when the nation’s Black newspapers – including
the Defender – honor the memory and
vision of Cornish and Russwurm.
Today, the Black Press is more
relevant than ever. Though times have
certainly changed since Freedom Journal’s founding, African Americans are
still fighting for their rights.
Slavery and Jim Crow laws no longer exist, but inequality is alive and well.
Today it has a new name, such as voter
ID law or redistricting.
For the first time in history we have
a Black president, but the disrespect he
receives is unprecedented.
Black Americans own thriving
businesses and expensive homes, and
run multi-million dollar companies. Yet
the Black middle class is shrinking, and
far too many of us are a paycheck away
from poverty.
We continue to grapple with other
problems such as unemployment, educational inequality and poor health.
That’s why we still need the Black
Press to help fight our battles, publicize
our causes and shed light on the positive
things occurring in our communities.
The Defender is proud to be a
member of the National Newspaper
Publishers Association, which is comprised of more than 200 Black newspapers with a combined readership of 15
million.
We strive to keep Cornish and
Russwurm’s dream alive while demonstrating our relevance each day online at
www.defenderfnetwork.com, on Facebook/Twitter and in each weekly issue.

13

The vanishing Black

middle class

By GEORGE E. CURRY
NNPA Columnist

A

– between 2008 and 2010, white median
household income fell by 2.9% while the
black median household income fell by
7.7%.”
A similar decline can be seen in home
ownership.
“Since the recovery, black home
ownership has been falling at just under
twice the rate of white home ownership –
from 2009 to 2011, black home ownership
declined by 1.4 percentage points while
white home ownership declined by 0.9
percentage points. This means that almost
all the gains in black home ownership
have been lost and now we are at a point

chapter in the National Urban
League’s 2012 State of Black
America report reached a
sobering conclusion about the
Black middle class.
“Our analysis of data from the U.S.
Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics will clearly establish that
whether one looks at education, income or
any other meaningful measure, almost all
the economic gains that blacks have made
in the last 30 years have been lost in the
Great Recession that started
in December 2007 and in the
anemic recovery that has followed since June, 2009.
“This means that the
size of the black middle
class is shrinking, the fruits
that come from being in
the black middle class are
dwindling, and the ladders
of opportunity for reaching
the black middle class are
disappearing.”
That’s pretty strong
language from the four
authors: Chanelle P. Hardy,
Valerie R. Wilson, Madura
Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner
Wijewardena and Garrick
T. Davis. But they provide strong figures to where there are real reversals in black home
buttress their case.
ownership.”
The Black median household income
Education, the ladder to upward moin 2010 was $32,106. That’s 30 percent less bility, is also going in the wrong direction.
than the comparable figure for whites. In to“An especially troubling trend can be
day’s dollars, that’s where the white median observed by looking at the fortunes of those
household income stood in 1980.
with a 4-year college degree,” the report
Even with the tremendous income
observed. “The most significant impact of
gap, the Black median household income
this trend has been on black college graduincreased by 32 percent between 1992
ates who saw their unemployment rates
and 2000. White income increased by 14
skyrocket to an average of 7.1% in 2011.
percent over that same time period.
“This led to an unprecedented widenThe latest economic downturn has
ing of the gap between black and white coleroded many of those gains.
lege graduates –in 1972, the gap between
“The Great Recession and the recovthe unemployment rates of blacks and
ery have led to a dramatic widening of the
white college graduates was 1.4 percentage
gap between white and black middle class
points and in 2011 it had increased to 3.2
income households,” the report stated.
percentage points.”
“Although both blacks and whites suffered
Middle class can be defined generally
declining median household income duras having income that places one in the
ing and since the recession, the decline
middle of overall income distribution. And
for blacks has been considerably higher
because White household income is more

than 1.5 times Black income, a White family must earn more than African-Americans
in order to be considered middle class.
Even though Blacks still trail whites
in income, there was no significant Black
middle class before the modern Civil
Rights Movement.
“…The civil rights movement of
the last 50 years forced open the door of
full-fledged American prosperity to all
those who had been barred from its many
comforts in decades past, either through
economic, legislative, a racial apartheid, or
some institutionalized combination of all
of the above,” the report said.
After the Civil Rights
Movement and affirmative
action opened the doors
of opportunity, they are
now being slammed in our
face. The National Urban
League chapter on the
Black middle class did not
address the issue of Black
net worth, which has also
been pummeled.
The Economic Policy
Institute, analyzing data
collected by the Federal Reserve, found that
in 2004, the median net
worth of White households
was $134,280, compared
with $13,450 for Black households. By
2009, the medium net worth for White
households had declined by 24 percent
to $97,860. Over that same period, the
medium net worth for African-American
households had fallen 83 percent to
$2,170.
Despite the Republican crusade for
smaller government, the National Urban
League report argues that the federal
government must be an active partner if
these blows to the Black middle class are
to be reversed.
“Programs such as targeted job training, Pell grants, small business lending,
pre- and post-purchase housing counseling,
and Medicare and Medicaid provide the
foundation which makes middle class life
possible,” the report stated. “These programs should not, and must not be sacrificed in the hyper-partisan debate designed
to produce political winners and losers.”

defendernetwork.com • Serving the Houston area for over 80 years

14

DEFENDER | WEEK OF MARCH 15 | 2012

defendernetwork.com

sports
PV Lady Panthers win

back-to-back SWAC tournaments

W

By MAX EDISON
Defender

hen Hall of Fame basketball star
Cynthia Cooper-Dyke departed
Prairie View A&M University for
greener coaching pastures, there
were concerns that the Lady Panthers program Cooper-Dyke had built to prominence
would fade back into the shadows.
After all, who knew very much about her young
successor, assistant coach Toyelle Wilson?
In her second season as head coach Wilson is
showing why she is one of the top young coaches in
the game, directing a young Lady Panthers team to
their second consecutive SWAC tournament championship and securing a ticket to March Madness and
the big dance.
“Coach Cooper gave me a great opportunity in the four years I was under her,”
Coach Wilson said.
“I came to Texas and Prairie View
having never been here before, not even in
the South for that matter. I learned a lot and
grew a lot during that time. The president and
AD gave me an opportunity to lead that program that I helped build and continue the success
that we had started.”
Wilson knew that repeating as champions could be challenging.
“We only had one scholarship
player return from last year’s team,” she
said. “We came into the tournament on
a three-game win streak. We knew the
urgency we had to have to be successful. We had the hardest side
of the bracket and our players
simply stepped up to the challenge. We had an unbelievable
run and I’m really proud of
them.”
Coach Wilson’s team
finished conference play fourth in
the standings (11-7 conference, 17-15
overall). She credits a tough pre-conference schedule to molding her team for
success in big game situations.
“I had a lot of freshmen and sophomores that didn’t know my system and
what I expected. That obviously led
to some growing pains,” she said.
“We grew from a tough preconference schedule. We were
beating Michigan the whole

game, we were beating St. John’s at
halftime and beating Marquette at
halftime so we knew we could play,”
Wilson said.
“We were losing to Southern
and Alcorn in the second half of
our last two conference games and
came back to win so I think our team
peaked at just the right time.”
With her team coming together
precisely on cue, Wilson still had
to navigate her players through a
difficult tournament bracket that
featured opponents with different
styles of play. The bracket included
the conference’s top regular season
squad, Mississippi Valley
(14-4 conference, 1813 overall).
Prairie View Lady Panthers head coach Toyelle Wilson (center) and tourney MVP Latia Williams (right) celebrate after winning the conference crown.

“We first
played a tough
Alabama State
team (62-35) that
had a strong inside
presence,” she recounted. “The second game was
against overall number one seed
Mississippi Valley [58-55], which
had a good overall team with excellent, aggressive guard play.
“They were number one in the
conference in steals,” Wilson said.
“We played Alcorn in the championship game and they are a guardoriented team as well. We had
to adjust to different styles of

play from our opponents, but the girls came out with a
focused mind and focused heart and stuck to our game
plan and executed really well under pressure.”
No team goes on a great run without a player
stepping up big in pressure situations. For the Lady
Panthers that player was Latia Williams, a 5-foot-10
junior forward. Williams averaged 21 points and 9
rebounds in three games. In the finals against Alcorn
she scored 20 of PV’s last 35 points. She was named
the tournament MVP.
“Latia is a veteran,” Wilson said. “She’s been here
four years and she’s the oldest player on the team.
She’s been through the pressure situations, the tournaments and the girls really look up to her. She put the
team on her shoulders in the conference tournament.
She simply took over games and that’s what a leader
does.”
In addition to Williams’ efforts, the coach received outstanding play from other contributors.
“Larissa Scott [6-feet, freshman forward] and
Jeanette Jackson [5-feet-7, freshman guard] showed up
big for us. Larissa was All-Tournament as well.
“Kiara Etienne [5-feet-10, junior forward), a former JUCO All-American and SWAC Newcomer of the
Year, played very well down the stretch. Everybody
just played their role and we clicked at the right time.”
The Lady Panthers will be headed up the east
coast for the first round of the NCAA tournament to
face top seed and 4th-ranked Connecticut (29-4) in the
Kingston Regional.

Latia Williams was dominant for
the victorious Lady Panthers.

defendernetwork.com • Serving the Houston area for over 80 years

WEEK OF MARCH 15 | 2012 DEFENDER

defendernetwork.com

h.s.zone

sportsbriefs

Yates, Travis boys

fall in state basketball finals
By DARRELL K.
ARDISON
Defender
AUSTIN
– The latest chapter
in the storied rivalry
between Houston and
the Dallas-Fort Worth
Metroplex in boys’
high school basketball went to “Big D.”
Jack Yates, the
No. 1-ranked Class
4A school in Texas,
Yates accepts runner-up trophy at 2012 state tournament.
led for nearly the
entire game, but missed opportunities
from the free-throw line in the final
seconds and an errant three-point shot
at the buzzer enabled Dallas Kimball
to escape with a 78-75 victory in the
4A championship game at the Frank
Erwin Center.
The Knights (34-5) erased a fivepoint deficit in the final two minutes
and Torrey Henry’s open three-pointer
with 12 seconds left in regulation
Travis players are disappointed by loss.
proved to be the game-winner.
Lilly scored a game-high 27 points
The defending 4A state champiand his three-pointer with 29 seconds
ons avenged a 94-78 loss to Yates in
left brought the Knights within 75-73.
the 2009 state title game. Kimball has
Lilly was named the game’s Most
won back-to-back titles after defeating
Valuable Player.
La Marque in the 2011 finals.
Yates (33-6) missed the front end
“We played as hard as we could
of two 1-and-1 free-throw opportuniand it just came down to missing some ties in the final 20 seconds to open
shots at the end of the game and they
the door for Kimball. Keith Frazier
were able to make theirs,” said Yates
scored 17 points for the Knights and
head coach Greg Wise. “We have
Henry added 12, none bigger than his
nothing to be disappointed about.”
second made three-pointer in as many
After trailing 9-4 in the game’s
attempts.
opening quarter, Yates tied the game
“He was standing less than three
at 11-11 to begin the second stanza.
feet away from me when he received
An 8-0 run led by Darrion Martin
the pass,” said Kimball coach Royce
and Daymean Dotson gave the Lions
Johnson. “I told him to drive to the
a 19-11 edge and Yates led 36-30 at
basket and try to get fouled. But I’ve
halftime.
always told my players that they play
Kimball was in catch-up mode
the game and do what they have the
for most of the rest of the game until
confidence to do. His shot was a thing
Shannon Lilly’s three-pointer tied the
of beauty.”
game at 48-48. Dotson’s three-point
Yates and Kimball won’t meet at
play with one minute, one second left
the state tournament for the next two
in the third period allowed Yates to
years as the Lions will be competing
take a 53-52 advantage into the final
on the Class 3A level. Yates will return
stanza.
seven lettermen, including starters
Several questionable calls that
Darrion Martin and Melvin Swift.
seemed to favor Yates in the final
Dotson led Yates with 23 points
eight minutes didn’t deter Kimball
and Martin added 12. Second-leading
from making a last run to victory.
scorer Clyde Santee made all six of his

15

free-throw attempts, but
missed all seven attempts
from beyond the threepoint arc.
In the Class 5A
championship game,
top-ranked Flower Mound
Marcus faced No. two Fort
Bend Travis.
Some of the most
highly-recruited players in
the country were in action
as Marcus featured Marcus Smart and Phil Forte,
and Travis was led by the
twin tandem of Aaron
and Andrew Harrison.
Both teams
struggled from the field
in the game’s early stages
and a three-pointer by
Andrew Harrison with
three seconds left in the
second quarter enabled
Travis to take a 22-20
advantage into intermission. Andrew Harrison
finished with a team-high

23 points.
Travis (36-4) scored the first five
points of the second half to lead 27-20,
but smart converted two free throws
to ignite the Marauders’ comeback.
Smart finished with 15 points and eight
rebounds.
Forte was named the game’s
MVP after erupting for 24 points with
four three-pointers. Yet his biggest
contribution was converting all eight
of his free-throw attempts, including
seven in the final 99 seconds to seal the
56-52 victory.
Marcus (39-2) repeated as 5A
champions after defeating Garland
Lakeview Centennial 40-38 last year.
Nick Banyard contributed 10 points
and13 rebounds for the Marauders.
“It was a great game and they
are a great team,” said Travis coach
Craig Brownson. “I am really proud
of our team, but this hurts right now. I
just hope we can get back up here next
year.”
Brownson will return all three
starting guards, including Aaron Harrison (10 points) and John Burnett (eight
points) along with sophomore Chris
Idi.

Nays to host Spring youth
basketball tournament
North American Youth Sports will host a spring youth
basketball tournament at Katy High School on May 1213. The tournament will feature age categories ranging
from fifth grade boys and girls to 12th grade boys and
girls. The entry fee for the tournament is $145 and guarantees each team a minimum of three games. Awards
will be presented in each age bracket. Entry deadline
is April 20. For information call tournament director
Samuel Roach at 832-418-3683 or go to the NAYS website at www.northamericanyouthsports.org.

Taylor to play volleyball at
South Florida
Erin Taylor, a senior at Clements High School, has committed to playing volleyball at the University of South
Florida next fall. Taylor compiled a 3.69 grade-pointaverage while winning Most Outstanding Offensive
Player and team Most Valuable Player honors for the
Lady Rangers.

Colbert wins national
leadership grant
Darrell Colbert Jr. of Lamar High School has won a
National Leadership Grant sponsored by NCSA Athletic
Recruiting and the National Football League Players
Association. The leadership grant is awarded to student athletes throughout the country in all sports from
football to track and field. These athletes qualify for the
grant based on leadership in their community, academic
achievements, athletics and a written essay submitted by
the athlete.

Etcetera
The University Interscholastic League celebrated the
50th anniversary of the 1962 Worthing High School
boys’ varsity basketball team winning the Prairie View
Interscholastic League Conference 4A state championship.

TJ Ford retires after eight
years in NBA
San Antonio Spurs point guard and former Willowridge
and University of Texas All-American T.J. Ford has announced his retirement after an eight-year NBA career.
He has had neck and spine injuries in the past that have
been surgically repaired. One of the greatest high school
players to ever come out of the Houston area, Ford (5feet-11) was the Naismith and Wooden Player of the Year
while at Texas. He led the Longhorns to the Final Four
as a sophomore. He was the eighth player selected in the
2003 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. “I think I succeeded at beating the odds, of being the little guy, making
it to the NBA and lasting as long as I did,” Ford said. “I
think I achieved a lot. I know I didn’t have the career I
anticipated and everyone anticipated, me having been
the player of the year [at Texas]. But I think I still had a
successful career.”

Milby High School gets
help with revitalization
BBVA Compass and NBA Cares recently joined forces
to revitalize Charles H. Milby High School. The effort
included landscaping, sanding and painting of benches
in the outdoor patio area, painting of the weight room,
dance room, music room, teacher’s lounge, and auditorium lobby, and book cataloguing. The school will also
receive new computers for the library and teachers’ work
room, books, new weight room equipment, furniture for
a reading nook in the library, and furniture and appliances for the “Buffalo Bistro” café.

A DIAMOND SALUTE…..The Ivy League Educational
foundation chair Pamela McGee, event chair Christina
& Charities Foundation founded by Alpha Kappa Alpha
Moore, co-chairs, Linda Burkley and Lucinda CampbellSorority, Inc., XI Alpha Omega Chapter, presented its 4th
Law and the entire committee for a great event. Continued
annual Educators’ Ball at the Norris Conference Center.
success!.....SPIRITUAL EMPOWERMENT…..
Twelve distinguished leaders who
The Metamorphosis Conference, Inc.
sparkle in community service were
hosted its 11th annual conference at
Join Yvette Chargois
honored, including Dr. Kimberly
the Fountain of Praise Church. Their
Agnew Borders, Marvin Alexander
mission is to redefine, renew, rebuild,
Events of the Week
Jr., Regina Carrington, Dr. Sophia
rejoice and restore, and it was announced
More photos on defendernetwork.com
Davis Fields, Marylyn Harris,
that a global conference and mission is
See Events on KTRK Ch.13’s Crossroads
Kelly P. Hodges, Roger Law,
scheduled for July in Brazil and March
with Melanie Lawson Sunday Morning @ 11 a.m.
Robert Morgan, Jr., Dr. Shawn F.
2013 in South Africa. This year’s
Simmons, Sonya Stevenson, Uneeda
lineup of presenters/keynote speakers
Talley and Marianne Walker. This elegant affair was
included founder and executive director Pastor Mia
attended by about 300 folks and featured Thomas Joyner
Wright, Rev. Dr. Jazz Sculark of Shiloh Baptist Church in
Jr., co-founder of REACH Media, Inc., a Dallas-based
Philadelphia, Pastor Sheryl Brady of The Potter’s House
multi-media firm that is the parent company for the “Tom
of North Dallas and attorney and television personality
Joyner Morning Show,” as the honorary chairman and
Star Jones. Metamorphosis combines a unique blend
keynote speaker. We salute chapter president Karen Baker, of inspiration, personal enrichment and outreach. Great

TV Personality Star Jones and Pastor Mia Wright

conference!.....KUDOS…..Carla J. Cargle, founder/
CEO of Genesis One Wealth Builders Financial Advisory
Firm ,recently celebrated 20 years of exceptional quality
service…..Opened just a little over a year ago by Genoria
Boykins and Sharon Owens, La Maison in Midtown, an
urban bed and breakfast, was named the March monthly
award-Top 10 Urban B&B’s by Bed&Breakfast.com.
Congratulations!.........…..MARK YOUR CALENDAR…
..”Behind The Pulpit,” a riveting new gospel musical stage
play, celebrates the memory of the late playwright Annette
Campbell and brings the triumphs and challenges of men
and women of the cloth. It stars Bernadette Stanis, who
is known as Thelma from the hit TV show “Good Times,”
Stellar Award-winning singer Keith Johnson, Grammy
nominated singer Calvin Richardson and also features
singers/actors Tony Terry and Terrell Phillips. The play
will be held March 29-April 1 at the Bayou Music Center,
520 Texas Ave. For more info call 713-230-1600…..From
Chag’s Place to your place, have a blessed week!